When He's Calling for You
by Scarlet Snidget
Summary: A DumbledoreMcGonagall songfic, written to 'Listen to Your Heart.' Albus finally admits that he has feelings for Minerva, and she has no clue what to say. Thankfully, she gets a bit of good advice.


**When He's Calling for You **- Listen to Your Heart

Disclaimer: This song is not mine, it property of DHT. Also, the characters, world, etc, are not mine, but the brilliant JKR's. Her uber spiffy ideas are used by me, not owned. Only the plot is mine. 

A/N: This took me _forever_ to finish it. Seriously, I worked on it for a while, forgot about it, then picked it up again about a month later. I hope you all like it, 'cuz I worked really hard.

Aww, I love the Dumbledore/McGonagall ship. For all the people who say, "Ew, old people love," I say, "Shut up."

Minerva McGonagall sat alone in the staff room. She couldn't bear it. She simply couldn't. She finally knew how he felt, and she felt the same way, but in another way, she didn't want it to be like that.

Albus Dumbledore was an amazing man, everything she could hope for. He was beyond what she could hope for. Even when she was at her worst, looking into his eyes, those bright blue eyes, she couldn't help but smile. Then there was his smile. It was the kind of smile that made his eyes twinkle and his face light up, and it was contagious. His manner was odd, even a bit frivolous, but it never ceased to amaze her how influential he was, nevertheless. He was the man of her dreams. Even the age difference didn't make it harder.

He had been her best friend for years. And finally he admitted to her that he had fallen in love with her. And what did she do? She ran out on him. She simply turned away, and not letting him have the chance to speak again, she fled the room.

Now she sat, her head in her hands. "Why?" she said to herself. "Why did I do that? Why did I give up that chance? Why does he even love me? Why should I not tell him that I do, too? Why?" Was it that she was afraid it would ruin their friendship? Was she afraid of losing him? Was it that she thought he was too good for her? And was it enough for her to want to resign? She started weeping into her hands. She hadn't cried in years, but that was all she wanted to do right now.

She'd been sobbing for about five minutes when she heard something at the door.

"Minerva?" Rolanda Hooch's head peered in. She came in, closely followed by Poppy Pomfrey and Pomona Sprout. All seated themselves around her.

"Why are you crying?" Poppy asked her carefully.

She tried to wipe away the tears and smile, talking as normally as she possibly could. "Oh, nothing. I... don't worry about it. It's just something silly..." She knew that sounded nothing like her, and she knew they knew that was a blatant lie.

"Minerva," Pomona said, "You don't normally cry over silly things. In fact, you don't normally cry about anything."

She looked at the ground, trying hard not to blush. "I... why do you want to know?"  
"We're your friends..." Pomona started, but she was cut off.

"It's about Albus, isn't it?" Rolanda demanded.

Minerva sighed, tried to say something, but failed.  
Then, she smiled slowly, nodding slightly and looking up at them.

_I know there's something in the wake of your smile.  
I get a notion from the look in your eyes, yeah.  
You've built a love but that love falls apart.  
Your little piece of heaven turns too dark._

"How did you know?" she asked.

Poppy smirked. "No matter how much he tries not to show it, have you ever notice that he looks at you and treats you differently from anyone else?"

"No, actually I..."

"And then there's your smile when you hear about him or talk about him," Pomona stated.

Rolanda nodded. "It gives it away. It's all too obvious. And we see it on both sides, you and him."

At first Minerva hesitated, but in the spur of the moment she started speaking. In a fashion unlike herself, she poured out the story to the three people she trusted most, other than Albus himself. "I... do love him," She finished. "I just don't know what to do."

The three women looked at each other.

"I think," Poppy said, "that you need to go and talk to him."

The other two nodded in agreement, but Minerva looked at the ground. "I don't know if I can."

"Of course you can," Pomona said.

"Indeed," said Rolanda. "You simply walk up to him and start telling him what you told us.

Minerva sighed, knowing whatever came next would be long and drawn out. "That's the problem."

Rolanda rolled her eyes. "Minerva, you can't just ignore him. You're going to have to face him at some time, anyway."

Minerva knew that it just wasn't a fact she'd like to face at that moment.

"He's been walking around the halls," Pomona said. "He's probably looking for you."

"Yes, Minerva," Poppy agreed, knitting her eyebrows together. "It's as if... you can't let your mind control the situation. You have to listen to your heart."

_Listen to your heart  
when he's calling for you.  
Listen to your heart  
there's nothing else you can do.  
I don't know where you're going  
and I don't know why,  
but listen to your heart  
before you tell him goodbye._

Minerva looked up. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Minerva," Poppy said, "You've always acted on responsibility. You can't always do that.

"And just why not?"

"Because even though it's 'right' doesn't mean it's right."

She hesitated. "I know, but that's wht I'm supposed to be like."

"Who says?" asked Pomona.

Once again, Minerva hesitated. "It's just supposed to be like that. No one says but me."

Rolanda smirked. "And what if Albus thought differently?"

Minerva was trapped. She didn't want to get herself in any deeper, so she fell silent.

"Well, Minnie, what do you think about that?" Rolanda asked.

"Don't call me Minnie," she muttered. She pursed her lips, now speaking boldly. "You should know better than that by now to call me Minerva, and you had better--"

She was cut off by a voice from the halls. "Minerva? Is that you."

"Go now," Poppy said. _"Listen to what your heart is saying."_

She seemed frozen, and the three women saw the chance. They dumped her out of her chair and pushed her to the door. She glared at them, looking as a cat would before it swiped at you, but they ignored it.

Before she gave her one last shove, Pomona whispered in her ear, "None if us know where this'll take you, but we know you have to give him a chance. You can't just say 'no, goodbye' before that. Like Poppy said, listen to something other than your responsible side: your heart."

And before Minerva comprehended what had happened, she was outside the dor, facing Albus.

_Sometimes you wonder if this fight is worthwhile.  
The precious moments are all lost in the tide, yea.  
They're swept away and nothing is what is seems,  
the feeling of belonging to your dreams._

He smiled warmly. "Why, hello Minerva. I just happened to be looking for you." His blue eyes twinkled.

"I know," she said with as much dignity as she could muster. She could have kicked herself. She was trying to act calm, an act normally simple for her, but her knees felt like rubber.

Albus raised an eyebrow, peering around Minerva, seeing the three women in the room staring at the door. "How would you like to talk somewhere a little more... private? My office, maybe?"

Minerva swallowed, begging her dry mouth to work. She nodded.

Albus held his arm out for her, and she gingerly rested her hand upon it, amazed at how her fingers tingled. The next few minutes flashed by, and before she knew it, she was seated across from him in his office.

"So," he said, "shall we talk?"

_Listen to your heart  
when he's calling for you.  
Listen to your heart  
there's nothing else you can do.  
I don't know where you're going  
and I don't know why,  
but listen to your heart  
before you tell him goodbye._

_Deep breaths,_ Minerva thought. _Slow, deep breaths._

"Would you like a lemon drop?" Albus held out the tin of candies.

Minerva shook her head, but she couldn't help but smile. "No thank you, Albus."

"Well you seem thoroughly nervous. I thought it might help." Minerva only blushed lightly. "My apologies for delaying this. I'll be quiet now, so you may talk."

"Albus, I'd like you to talk first."

The man nodded, sighing deeply, taking his time before speaking. "Well, Minerva, I'll state it simply, as I did before. I love you. You're... and amazing woman, Minerva. I've never known someone quite like you.

"I've met many women over the years. And, to my surprise, many have been infatuated by me." It didn't surprise Minerva in the least. "But I've never wanted a woman. Somehow, I never met the one for me.

"Then, during my years teaching here at Hogwarts, there was a new teacher. She was sharp, professional and beautiful."

"Beautiful?"

"_Beautiful._"

"When I became Headmaster, I, of course, wanted her as Deputy Headmistress. And so she was, for many years, and still is.

"I never had feelings for her for many years. We were simply friends, close friends, if not best friends. But I grew to love her, though I was afraid to tell her."

"Albus, I don't see you as a man to be afraid."

He chuckled. "You'd be very surprised, Minerva. I was afraid she'd deny me." Minerva felt a pang of guilt. She was to afraid to face him, so he suffered. "But I loved her dearly.

"One day, I decided she needed to know. So, I took a few days to get my courage up to ask her."

"A few _days_?"

"Yes, Minerva, a few days. Anyway, I finally went to her. And... well, you know the rest. I love her." He paused. "Minerva, I love you."

She felt an incredible sensation sweeping over her. She felt breathless, and was positive of how she felt.

"So, Minerva, what do you have to say to that?" And she knew.

_And there are voices  
that want to be heard.  
So much to mention  
but you can't find the words.  
The scent of magic,  
the beauty that's been  
when love was wilder than the wind._

She suddenly knew what she wanted to say, but she couldn't. "Albus, there are so many things I could say, I just don't know how to say them."

He smiled, rising out of his chair and coming around his desk to sit in the one next to her. "The only thing I'd like to know is whether they're things I'll like."

As tears rose in her eyes, she knew there would be no way to _say_ them, so she simply turned and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head against his shoulder.

"I'm supposing this is good, then?"

"Yes, Albus, it's definitely good."

_Listen to your heart  
when he's calling for you.  
Listen to your heart  
there's nothing else you can do.  
I don't know where you're going  
and I don't know why,  
but listen to your heart  
before you tell him goodbye._

"Minerva?"

"Albus," she said, backing up, "before you go on, I want you to know something. I love you. I, too, have waited to long to say that."

"Minerva," he said quietly, "it's alright." He leaned forward, gently touching his lips to hers.

She leaned in and when she pulled away, she whispered, "No, it's not alright. But everything will be alright soon."

_Listen to your heart, mm-mmmmmm_

I don't know where you're going  
and I don't know why,  
but listen to your heart  
before you tell him goodbye.

"Albus," Minerva whispered a half hour later as they sat together, "I love you. And now I... I just know. And it's thanks to a few people who gave me some good advice. _Listen_."

She turned to him, their faces barely a half in before. In unson, the both whispered the same.

_"Listen to your heart."_


End file.
